Date with Disaster
Title: Date wih Disaster Players: Nathan Bates, Juliet Parrish, and Elias Taylor Location: L.A.: Club Creole Synopsis: This is the log of Nathan and Julie's Dinner Date. For those easily offended, you should know that Nathan is not a good Date…. Well, not in the most general sense. LOG BEGINS Limo is driven up to the entrance to the hottest restaurant and Bar in town, although not the *most* expensive, it is exclusive. The Club Creole. The driver steps out, and moves to open the door for the Limo Occupants, Nathan Bates, the most influential Man in Los Angeles, and his… date, Juliet Parrish, well known Ex-Resistance Fighter, and current Science Frontiers top-Scientist. Nathan Bates lets Julie step out of the Limo first. Juliet Parrish chose to dress up a notch more than expected tonight, in a bright red dress, almost a second skin, the skirt ending just above her knee and slit several inches. Bright red stiletto's, perhaps not the best choice with her hip, but fashionable, damnit!, are the first thing to step out of the limo, followed by the rest of the blonde, with her hair swept up and back. A little dressy, perhaps, but hopefully it has the impact on Nathan it was meant to. Nathan Bates steps out, dressed in a black three piece suit, with charcoal grey pin strips. Fashionable black shoes, and a gold pocket watch are the only visible accessories. Flanking the door of the Club are two of Bates' security personal, who open the door for Julie and Nathan. Nathan offers his arm to his date, whom he thinks looks absolutely ravishing. That was the plan! Taking Nathan's arm, her limp seemingly non-existent tonight, Juliet moves smoothly next to the most powerful man in the city, into the restaurant. "I must say," she chuckles. "I was surprised you were on time." Nathan Bates smiles, "I have found that being on time is one of the two most important things in business." He leads her through the door, "Playing to Win, is the the other." Juliet Parrish enters the club on Nathan's arm, hers hooked through his. She's dressed in a bright red dress, almost a second skin, the skirt ending just above her knee and slit several inches. Bright red stilettos, perhaps not the best choice with her hip, but hey, they make a statement! "And you always play to win, don't you?" Nathan Bates leads Juliet into the Club, and looks around. He smiles, so this is what a Resistance Hero can do… Oh well, it likely still will have to be burnt to the ground in the future. He looks around, while nodding to Julie, "Of course, if you do not play to win, you are going to lose." He looks for the Greeter, so they can be seated. As Bates guides Julie into the club, the patrons who notice the entrance glance up and pause, drawing others to do so as well, just for a moment. Then they go back to what they were doing. The only one not pausing is Elias. He walks right over, keeping a forced smile on. "Hello and welcome to the Club Creole, Mr. Bates, Miss Parish…" Following Bates and Julie into the Club are two Obvious Security People, both appearing to be packing Heat. Juliet Parrish chuckles softly, almost but not quite coyly. "Well, it's always better to be the winner than the loser, Nathan," she agrees, her other hand coming up to settle on the same arm her's is hooked through. Spotting Elias as he greets them, surprise momentarily lights in her eyes but disappears even faster as she inclines her head, and gives him a near invisible wink. A 'keep quiet and play along' wink. Nathan Bates nods, "Of course it is my dear… Now if the Resistance would just realize that I am playing to win, now, and that they are messing it up…" He shrugs, and looks at Elias, "Good Evening, Mr. Taylor." Like his security would let him meet someone he didn't know the name of, but he already knew Elias', "How about your best table, a couple of menus, and your best bottle of champagne." The invisible wink doesn't go unnoticed, in the least. Elias pulls two menus from the greeting stand, coming very close to laughing. "Certainly. Allow me to show you both to the table… I'll bring the champagne as soon as you're seated." He starts leading to a nice, smaller table, in a semi-private area, quite obviously for 'private dates'. "And a glass of water, for me please," Juliet orders even as they move to follow the club's owner to the semi-secluded table. "While I don't condone what the Resistance is doing, have you thought that it might just be possible that they are playing to win too?" Nathan Bates nods to Elias, "Very good, Mr Taylor." He looks to Julie and says, simply, "Than they need to do it outside of L.A… Because, In L.A. we are working towards a Solution using the Dust… You know that." He shrugs, "Perhaps We'll just have to ask Mr. Taylor what he thinks…" While he is here for Dinner, he does still wonder if Julie is a double agent. The order of water brings a smile and nod of acknowledgment from Elias. "Sure thing, Madame Parrish." He even pulls the chairs out for both, glancing to Bates at the comment. "Be kinda hard to keep the place open if they started having shoot ups in the streets, for sure." Then he turns towards Julie to head for the counter, rolling his eyes slightly for her to see, before going off to get the drinks. "No," Julie returns with a light laugh. "We came for dinner, and conversation, not to discuss work, and the troubles we have to deal with every day, Nathan. Please…let's just enjoy each other's company." Slipping into her chair, pulling her skirt lady-like beneath her, she smiles brightly across at her boss. Double agent? Her? Never! Look at that face, it's the face of innocence! Nathan Bates nods, "Very Well." He himself sits so he can see the counter, more likely, the mirrored wall behind the bar. He picks up the menu, and hmms, "When he comes back, remind me to ask about the House Specialties." Could he mean Steak and Lobster, or Guns, Ammo, and Hide-outs? Arching an eyebrow, Julie pulls out the insert from her menu. "Didn't you get yours?" she wonders, extending her copy of the daily specials menu over to Nathan. "What's mine is yours…here." Elias is well on his way to the bar by then, nodding to Willie as he passes, and getting the champagne bottle and two glasses. If he's perturbed by the incident in the least, he's not letting on. He gets the water, then brings the bottle, glasses, and water over to the table, setting them before the appropriate parties. "Here you go, sir and madame… Enjoy your drinks. Are you wanting more time to order?" Nathan Bates hasn't actually opened his menu, actually. "That sounds like something a married couple would say to each other… Lets let the future take care of itself, while we enjoy the present." He looks at Elias, "What are the House Specialties, Mr Taylor?" Personally, he thinks, Guns and Fighters, but he keeps that to himself. Juliet Parrish rolls her eyes, smirking across the table at Bates. "It's an expression, Nathan. Relax, don't take everything so seriously." She smiles, before turning her attention up to Elias, reaching for her water silently to sip from it as she listens. A bright smile crosses Elias' face at the mention of the house specials. "Well, for the specials tonight, we have porterhouse steak, Cajun spiced Lobster, and racks of spareribs, since they have more meat on them than baby backs do." He smiles, looking between the two. Nathan Bates smiles, and looks at Julie, wondering if perhaps she is ready to order. The arch of a lone eyebrow would show that clearly. He knows what he'll be having, and maybe he'll get lucky for dessert. Ewww. Juliet has a good idea of what is going through Nathan's head, but she gives no indication, simply smiling, closing her menu with hardly a glance. "That steak sounds fabulous. I'll have mine, medium please. With…a loaded baked potato, and…salad with house dressing to start." That gets written down onto the pad as soon as it's said, and Elias smiles quite happily, before glancing over to Bates, pad still in hand "And you sir?" Nathan Bates nods slightly, a woman after his own heart, "I'll have the Steak as well, Rare. Baked Potato, no Butter or Sour Cream…" Got to watch that bad ticker, ".. What are your soup choices?" Juliet Parrish doesn't eat richly very often, she might as well enjoy what she can on Nathan's dime. It just happens to be the same thing, or similar, to what he's having. Damn, something in common. Elias writes that down and nods a little bit. "For soups, we have Vegetable, Chicken and dumplings, Vegetable Beef, or French Onion." Nathan Bates nods slightly, "I'll have the French Onion." He reaches for the bottle of Champagne, and pops the cork. Without spilling a drop, he has a glass underneath, and is filling it. He fills both glasses, and set the bottle back in the ice bucket, to stay chilled. The pop from the cork is unexpected (yeah, right), and Julie's hands both lift to cover her mouth, fingers pressing together as her eyes sparkle. "You're quite skilled at that," she flatters, lips darkened with skillfully applied makeup widening with a smile. With a nod, Elias writes that down, and checks it off. "Very good, sir." He looks around then. "I'll have the soup and salad out momentarily." With that, he slips off for the kitchen. Nathan Bates smiles at Julie, although he does wonder if she is trying to flatter him. He'll let her, it is harmless, and does make his ego feel good. He slides one of the glasses over to Julie, and lifts his glass, "What shall we drink to?" A Drunk blond sounds good, about now. Juliet Parrish accepts her glass, manicured fingers gripping the stem carefully. "To…a better LA. And…to winning." She winks. "And good food, good drinks, and good friends." She lifts her glass in a salute. Nathan Bates nods, thinking she means all of his plans for a better LA, and that he is what she considers a good friend, "I can drink to that." He takes a sip of the Champagne, and nods slightly, "This is a very good year…" Juliet Parrish takes a sip. A large sip, in fact, perhaps a fifth of her glass, her spare hand lifting to press against her lips as her eyes widen. Swallowing, her cheeks flush lightly. "Oh, my…I'd forgotten what good champagne is like." At that point, Elias slips back towards the table, from the bar, holding a salad plate with a dressing cup on it, and a small plate with a soup bowl and spoon wrapped in an additional napkin. He smiles, and sets the salad before Julie, then sets the soup in front of Bates. "Here you go… Your main courses will be finished shortly." Nathan Bates smiles, "Well, don't drink too much before dinner. I'd hate for you to get drunk on it, because you haven't eaten…" Besides, getting drunk before the meal, is not in the plans, because than, he'd have to hope it didn't wear off before they got back to the Limo… He nods to Elias, "Thank you, my good man." Juliet Parrish wrinkles her nose, carefully setting down her champagne flute, glancing up to follow the progress of her salad down onto the table. "It looks great…my good man?" she blinks incredulously across the table at Nathan before attempting to stifle a laugh. Nathan Bates shrugs slightly, "Always try to treat your waiter with respect and kindness." He shrugs again. While never admitting that they are there, when you talk about them. Yup, that is the Bates' creed on Fine Dining. Juliet Parrish rolls her eyes in an 'isn't he cute?' sort of way, she looks up at Elias. "Thank you." she offers before reaching for her fork, and settling her napkin carefully across her lap. Elias smiles and nods to the two. "Always happy to please." He then slips away to check on their dinners. Nathan Bates unfolds a napkin into his lap, like a proper gentleman, he does wait for the lady to reach for her fork, before he reaches for the soup spoon. He takes a small bite of the soup, nodding slightly, "This is rather good. I must say, I have been impressed… I heard Mr Taylor was a criminal before the Visitors arrived the first time," And of course, Julie *could* verify this, if she wished, and Nathan knows it, "but he seems to have turned over a new leaf, and is quite an accomplished Restaurant owner, if he can hire chefs of the obvious magnitude that he obviously has." "We're all capable of changing, Nathan, you, me, Mr. Taylor, all of us." Juliet agrees quietly, gently stabbing several pieces of lettuce on the prongs. "If given the right opportunities…" An enjoyable meal passes… Dessert time? Nathan Bates leans back in his seat, and looks at Julie. He refills her glass of Champagne, and his own as well. How many glasses does this make for the Blonde? There is always room for one more. Juliet Parrish has probably had four glasses of champagne over the meal, at least as far as Nathan can tell. Now, whether she's actually drank that many or not is hard to tell, but she's definitely got rosy cheeks, and has gotten giggly. Nathan Bates smiles at Juliet, "Would you care for something else? Dessert perhaps? Or should I get the check, and see about making sure you get home in one piece?" Elias slips over, with a smile, to clear dinner dishes off the table. "And how was your food and champagne tonight? Looks as though the lady may have enjoyed one too many…" Juliet Parrish lifts a hand to stifle her laughter, having some sense of propriety left as she's noticed to be out of sorts by the waiter. "I think…I'll leave that up to you, Nate…" Oh, she's dropped to his shortened name! "I need to visit the ladies room." And up she gets out of her chair, a little unsteadily. Okay, she's more than a little unsteady, but it's got to be the shoes, right? Nathan Bates watches Julie, closely, than looks at Elias, "I think you should perhaps, bring the check… It seems Dr. Parrish needs to be getting home." Elias Taylor laughs and nods a little bit, glancing to the two. "One moment please, then, and I'll get the check." He slips up for the bar then, tapping happily into the cash register. And Well he should be happy. Two Expensive Meals, a Bottle of the most expensive Champagne… Sees Bates' really went all out tonight. And to show his good nature to Julie, he will have to leave a nice big tip to her old friend. Poor Nathan, all this, just to get a chance to have Julie tell him that he can not come upstairs for a Nightcap… Bates reaches for his jacket pocket, and pulls out his Visa Card. Not American Express, but than, Visa is just as good, and his credit Limit is… what is a credit limit again? Does he even have one? He's the emperor of LA, after all… Elias taps the register, finishes up the checking, and walks right back over, offering the Guest copy of the bill to Bates. "And here you go, sir… I'll just run your card and bring you the form to sign, one moment." Nathan Bates nods slightly, "Add 40% as a tip, if you would." He looks to see if Julie is on her way back yet. Elias Taylor blinks and nods then. "As you wish, sir." He hurries back to the register, runs the card quickly, making note of both the front and back numbers with his old skills from the streets. He smiles widely, and brings the form to sign. "And if you'll just sign this, sir, you can be taking the lady to wherever you're going next." He gives a bright grin, glancing at Julie as he does. Juliet Parrish comes teetering back from the ladies room, looking just as she did when she'd left. "Are we having dessert, then, or leaving?" she wonders, a hand settling on the back of her chair as she asks. Nathan Bates signs the credit card slip, and stands up, "I think I should get you home, Julie Dear. You look like… you could use some rest." He stands up, and offers Julie his arm. The Security Personnel move quickly, one to watch how Bates will be going, and the other to have the Limo brought up. Juliet Parrish giggles again, slipping her arm through Nathan's as she nods. "I think the champagne went to my head," she whispers in a not-real whisper, though she doesn't seem to realize it. Elias Taylor slips back with the signed slip, after a quick laugh at Julie for that. Once back, he scribbles down a note to himself, tossing it into the register casually, below the main money area, along with the signed slip. Nathan Bates nods once to Elias, again, and leads Julie towards the exit. He ignores the Security People, and the other patrons, talking softly to Julie, "Well, perhaps I shouldn't have poured you as much as I did. I've forgotten how hard it is to get certain things in the city." The meal probably cost about 700 Dollars, all told, not counting the tip. When, just a year before, it would have been half that. He continues, "Of course, if you agree to a second, and than maybe a third date, perhaps you won't have such an effect from the champagne." Not, of course, that Nathan would complain, either way. And while to most people, a 700$ price tag is unimaginable, to Nathan Bates, it's hardly a huge expense. "We'll have to see." Julie returns slyly, lifting a finger to tap at his chin. "For now, I think I'd best get home to bed." Nathan Bates nods, "All right." He leads her out the door. Not being a dirty old man, he won't take the bed comment at more than face value. The Limo driver opens the door, and Nathan assists Julie into the Limo. Not a dirty old man? Ha! Julie continues on at Nathan's side, stumbling only once. She slips into the limo with a fair amount of decorum, considering how the alcohol affected her, but once in, she slips out of her shoes with a sign. Nathan Bates slips into the Limo next to Julie, and smiles at her. The Driver slips into the seat, but with the partition up, that is not noticeable. What is, is that the Limo immediately starts to move, heading back towards Julie's Apartment. Juliet Parrish lounges back in the seat, knees together but ankles spread. "That was a good meal." she murmurs. Nathan Bates smiles, "I am glad you liked it, My Dear." He reaches into the Mini-Bar, and pours himself a glass of wine, "I'd offer you another Glass… but I doubt you would want it?" It is red Wine, not Champagne, but just as good, and just as potent. Juliet Parrish lifts her hand in a shrug, grinning faintly. "What's one more?" she wonders, pushing up in the seat and leaning forward to accept a glass if offered. Nathan Bates pours another glass, and hands it over. There is a small playing at his face, and he wonders something softly, "You did enjoy your evening, correct?" Juliet Parrish nods quickly, smiling as she lifts the glass in a salute. "To dates that don't come often enough." Thankfully. With a bold wink, she leans back, sipping…and stretches her legs out on the bench of the limo Nathan Bates nods, and takes a drink of his wine. He smiles, and says, "We could do this more often, you know…" Juliet Parrish arches an eyebrow, head lolling back against the seat. "You couldn't afford to entertain me like this all the time." she returns. Nathan Bates grins, "Oh, I could…. Really…. But, I didn't mean like this every night. I do make a pretty good meal of Salmon and Rice… or Chicken Teryaki…" "You cook? You'd cook for me, at your place? Or mine?" she wonders, drinking rather deeply from her glass. Nathan Bates shrugs, "I do so rarely have company at my home… I could send the Limo for you, any night you wished to stop by for dinner?" Juliet Parrish smiles warmly, nodding. "Perhaps next week? I can't skip my physio more than once a week or so." she points out. Nathan Bates nods, "Sure. As I said, anytime. Just let me know before the workday is finished, and If I don't have any plans, I will be glad to fix you a 'Bates-style' Meal." Juliet Parrish inclines her head, finishing off her wine. Her eyes are half-glazed, and she smiles lazily across at Bates. "You're never going to respect me at the *hic* office anymore, are you?" she giggles Nathan Bates chuckles softly, "Dear Julie, the only way I wouldn't respect you, won't happen. You have more than enough pressure on you, that you do need to unwind and relax from time to time. This just happens to be one of them." Juliet Parrish arches an eyebrow, smirking. "And how wouldn't you respect me?" she wonders. Nathan Bates shrugs, "Considering I doubt you plan on stripping off your dress right now, and standing up to flash yourself to the entire town… you are not drunk enough for that, nor do you strike me as someone who would loose all their inhibitions and do that, no matter how drunk you were… You are safe from loosing my respect." Nathan is not teasing Julie, he is serious. Although, if she did want to flash him, he wouldn't mind, that is different than flashing the world. Juliet Parrish snorts, trying to stifle her laughter as she shakes her head. "No, no, I won't do that," she agrees, extending her hand with the empty glass towards him as the limo slows to a stop. Nathan Bates accepts the empty glass, and places back in the mini-bar rack. "Shall I walk you up?" Juliet Parrish shakes her head, pushing up in the seat and leaning over unsteadily to pick up her shoes. "I'll be okay," she assures him, reaching a hand out for the doorknob before pausing, and lifting it instead to hide a yawn. "Just going to go to bed." Nathan Bates nods, "Very well… If you need anything before Monday morning, you have my numbers." He watches Julie closely, smiling a little. Juliet Parrish nods, as the door of the limo is pulled open. "Thanks for dinner, Nate…was good." The company, not so much, but the food was excellent. She'll have to thank Elias tomorrow. "Night…" she offers, slipping out of the car. Nathan Bates smiles, "Good Night Julie…" Ahhh, what a wonderful woman. But it is too bad she didn't take any of the hints he dropped, a Night cap, a flash, and maybe she would have gotten a raise starting, oh, 6 months ago. As Juliet walks into her building, he considers having someone plant a hidden camera in her apartment. Well, maybe not a good idea, if she ever found it. Ah, but would she find it…the ever-lasting debate. Think about it, Natey-boy! LOG ENDS Category:Log Category:RATED-PG-13